A Visionary, a Victim and a Co-Traveller. Juraj Križanić in the Literary Writings of Ivan Golub

Abstract

Juraj Križanić was a Croatian Catholic priest and polyhistor who believed all the Slavic nations belonged to a single ethnic family of peoples and wished for unity between the Catholic and Orthodox Slavs. In this paper, the life and traits of Juraj Križanić are observed through the prism of Ivan Golub who dedicated most of his opus to him, both in the literary and academic sense of the word. Križanić was not only a topic of scholarly interest for Golub but also a literary inspiration. He wrote an epic poem Strastni život (A Life of Passion), and a number of lyrical poems dedicated to him, one of which, Svi su tokovi jedno (All Streams are One) became famous for the fact that it was set to music. Golub also wrote a literary biography, Križanić, and a screenplay used in a documentary film, Svi odlasci Jurja Križanića (All the Departures of Juraj Križanić). Golub’s interest in Križanić, and the nature of his style that blends documentary elements and fictitious ones, are closely examined.